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Limiting waste at Cape Town’s major sporting events

March 2018 sees two major sporting events taking place in Cape Town – the Cape Town Cycle Tour and the Two Oceans Marathon. Limiting the waste at these events is no easy task and once again, clean-up crews will minimise the resulting impact on the environment through hard work.

For the 11th year in a row, John Kieser has been tasked with the mammoth task of coordinating the clean-up crews after these two events. Kieser is Plastic SA’s sustainability manager and will work with his 200-strong team around the clock to ensure that no waste is left behind.

These workers have been employed from local high-density suburbs in and around Cape Town to boost job production in the area. They will scour the routes of the races on foot, collecting the litter and water bottles left behind by the athletes and spectators.

Recycling the waste

Most of the waste collected will constitute plastic bottles, packets and sachets, which have high value in the recycling market. This plastic waste will be collected by the truckload and sent to recycling plants.

Any organic food waste that is gathered will be sent to Noordhoek for composting while the non-organic waste will be recycled or upcycled, depending on the nature of the materials. Some of the waste will be turned into school desks for under-resourced schools in the Western Cape, as part of the Two Oceans Marathon #GoGreen campaign.

Public and private partnerships in waste management

“Over the years, the active and visible involvement of our clean-up team and the PETCO-branded bins and trucks at these events have helped to create an awareness of the plastics industry’s dedication to keeping plastic litter out of the environment,” says Kieser.

He states that the City of Cape Town also plays a big part in the clean-up effort as the municipality sweeps the race routes and cleans the verges in the days prior to the events.

“The plastics industry is proud to work alongside the organisers who are committed to waste management and recycling and are doing everything in their power to ensure these iconic events take place with as little impact as possible on the municipal water supply and the environment,” he says.

The Cape Town Cycle Tour took place on Sunday, 11 March and the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon is set to take place on Saturday, 31 March 2018.

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Averda is a leading waste management provider with over 50 years of experience across three continents. Through growth, transformation and engagement, we strive to find new ways of managing waste while protecting the community and environment.

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By pairing international expertise with local insights, we have secured our position as one of South Africa’s most respected providers of waste management and industrial cleaning services. We also operate in the recycling, infrastructure inspection, hydro-demolition, high-pressure water jetting and catalyst handling industries.

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